AHCI vs NVMe: Which Is Better? What’s the Difference?

Nowadays, NVMe SSD is becoming more and more popular among users. So, what are the advantages of NVMe SSD over AHCI mode SSD? Should you upgrade from AHCI SSD to NVMe SSD? Some say AHCI SSD is the best choice, while others claim that NVMe SSD is better. Then, which one is better? In the following content,/tool will answer this question for you.

AHCI vs NVMe: Which One Is Better?

AHCI stands for Advanced Host Controller Interface, while NVME is short for Non-Volatile Memory Express. Both are transmission protocols/interface specifications. So, which one is better between AHCI and NVME, and how should you choose? This section will reveal the answer.

AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) was introduced in 2004, initially designed for mechanical hard drives. Enabling AHCI mode on a motherboard for SATA SSDs allows you to fully leverage the advantages of SATA disks, such as NCQ (Native Command Queuing) and hot-swapping.

NVMe, introduced in 2011 by Samsung, Intel, and SanDisk, among others, makes full use of the PCIe SSD. NVMe was developed specifically to access non-volatile memory media (such as PCIe SSDs) connected via the PCIe bus.

The benefit of using the additional PCIe interface with NVMe is that it enables shorter data access and command queue latency. In addition, PCIe NVMe SSDs have excellent multitasking capabilities.

They vary greatly in performance, latency, I/O, and consumption. Refer to the table for more information:

The debate between AHCI and NVMe SSDs has been a long-standing hot topic. Both have their pros and cons, so it truly depends on your requirements and expectations for a storage device. AHCI SSDs offer notable advantages, such as better compatibility with older systems and lower power consumption.

If you're on a tight budget, or don't need the absolute best performance, an AHCI SSD will still provide a great gaming experience – it just won't be as fast as an NVMe SSD.

For the best gaming experience, you need to use NVMe. But what if you want to upgrade from an AHCI SSD to an NVMe SSD? Read on to find out more.

You may also like:

Does an NVMe SSD require a specific motherboard or operating system? You bet it does!

From the comparison above, we can see that NVMe SSD offers a better experience than AHCI SSD. However, NVMe SSD has stricter requirements for the system and motherboard. So before upgrading to an NVMe SSD, you need to know the specific requirements of NVMe for the system and motherboard. Feel free to share this post with your friends so they also know the exact requirements of NVMe for the motherboard and operating system.

There are specific requirements:

• ⚙️ Specification

NVMe PCIe SSDs usually come in the M.2 form factor and use the PCIe 3.0 x4 interface standard, so you'll need to make sure your motherboard has an M.2 PCIe x4 slot and that your BIOS version supports NVMe drivers.

Operating System

Not all Windows operating systems recognize NVMe SSDs out of the box. If you're using an older version of Windows, such as Windows 7 or earlier, you might need to install an NVMe driver first to ensure that your system can detect the NVMe SSD.

Use an NVMe SSD as the boot drive

Please ensure that the motherboard supports UEFI boot and that the NVMe SSD should use GPT partitioning.

In general, if you're using the latest version of Windows, such as Windows 10/11 and Windows Server 2019/2022, and have a modern motherboard, you shouldn't have to worry about NVMe SSD compatibility. Otherwise, you should check your motherboard and OS for support before upgrading to an NVMe SSD. Now let's learn how to upgrade to an NVMe SSD.

How to Upgrade from AHCI SSD to NVMe SSD?

For a long time, the toughest issue when upgrading from AHCI SSD to NVMe is data loss and unbootable NVMe. But don't worry. In this part, we will show you a way to clone all data on the original AHCI SSD to a brand new NVMe. The whole process contains 3 steps. If your NVMe SSD is not new, skip to Step 2.

1. Step 1. Initialize the NVMe SSD (if new, before it can be used)
2. Step 2. Clone the AHCI SSD to the NVMe SSD (ensure the NVMe SSD has enough space for the AHCI SSD's data)
3. Step 3. Set the NVMe SSD as the boot drive (if you want to boot from the NVMe SSD, you'll need to change the boot order)

MiniTool Partition Wizard is a reliable tool worth knowing about. It can help you initialize the NVMe SSD and clone all data, including the operating system, to the NVMe SSD. Let's get started.

Phase 1: Initialize the NVMe SSD

This step is necessary because Windows won't recognize an uninitialized SSD. Thus, it ensures that Windows can detect the NVMe SSD and write on it. Partition Master Professional works on Windows 11/10, Windows 8.1/8/7, even Windows XP/Vista. Now, follow the guide to have a try. If you want to boot from NVMe SSD, remember to initialize SSD as GPT style.

Step 1. Launch Partition Master and enter the Partition Management interface.

Step 2: Right-click on the target disk (HDD or SSD) and choose “Initialize as MBR” or “Initialize as GPT.” Click “Perform Tasks” and “Apply” to save the changes.

0:00-0:18 Initialize as MBR; 0:19-0:44 Initialize as GPT;

This is an embedded YouTube video player, allowing fullscreen playback, copy-pasting, encrypted media, gyroscope, and picture-in-picture functionality. The video player has a width of 700 pixels and a height of 410 pixels. Click on the play button to watch the video.

Stage 2: Clone AHCI SSD to NVMe SSD without Losing Data

If you don't want to lose your original data and system, it's time to consider saving your apps and data on the original SSD. Windows doesn't have a built-in tool that can help you copy both data and the system to another new drive, so using fantastic disk cloning software like Disk Partition Master to clone AHCI SSD to NVMe PCIe SSD is a great choice. This tool offers Quick Clone and Sector-by-Sector Clone modes, allowing you to clone an AHCI SSD to another NVMe SSD or clone an SSD with bad sectors to another disk.

Here are some of its features:

- It also offers an "OS Migration to SSD Wizard," which allows you to clone only the OS-related partition to an NVMe SSD for secure boot, saving time. - It automatically aligns partitions on the SSD to 4K for improved performance. - It checks the health status of your NVMe SSD, such as its speed and temperature.

Here's a guide on how to clone an AHCI SSD to an NVMe SSD:

Step 1: Select the source disk.

Click “Clone” from the left menu. Choose “Clone System Disk” or “Clone Data Disk,” then click “Next.” Select the source disk, then click “Next.”

Step 2: Select the target disk.

Select the target HDD/SSD you want and click “Next” to continue. Read the warning message and confirm by clicking the “Yes” button.

Step 3: Review the disk layout and edit the target disk partition sizes as necessary.

When prompted that all data on the target drive will be erased, click “Continue” (make sure to back up any important data on the target drive beforehand).

Here you can choose to “Automatically adjust disk size,” “Clone source disk size,” or “Edit disk layout.” (Choose the last option if you want to reserve more space for the C drive.)

Click “Start” to begin cloning the hard drive.

This is an embedded YouTube video player. The video's title is "YouTube video player," and it has a width of 700 pixels and a height of 410 pixels. The video allows features such as accelerometer, autoplay, clipboard-write, encrypted media, gyroscope, and picture-in-picture. It is set to play in full screen and has a frameborder of 0, indicating that there will be no border around the video when played.

Click the button to download the tool for a free trial.

Step 3: Set the NVMe SSD as the boot drive

If you clone the operating system to an NVMe SSD, you may encounter the "Windows won't boot from SSD" error. Please follow the guide to set the NVMe SSD as the correct boot drive:

Step 1: Restart your computer. When you see the startup screen, press F2/F12/DEL to enter BIOS. (Note that the key for entering BIOS may differ depending on the brand; consult your manufacturer for specifics.)

Step 2. Next, select “Boot Menu,” and choose the cloned NVMe SSD as the first boot option.

Step 3: Save your changes and exit the BIOS, then restart your computer. Your PC should now boot into Windows normally.

Conclusions

More and more users choose NVMe SSD because it's fast enough to provide a better working or gaming experience. The advantage of NVMe also attracts many users who used to use AHCI SSDs. But, you need to ensure your current device is compatible with NVMe motherboards and system requirements. When changing to an NVMe SSD, it's also important to select a reliable cloning software like Partition Master, which allows you to clone only used sectors and even clone SSD with bad sectors. Besides, it can also check NVMe SSD temperature and test the NVMe SSD speed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about AHCI and NVMe

Now you know the difference between AHCI and NVMe. If you run into related issues, here are some other questions that might help you.

**1. Is NVMe faster than AHCI?** Yes, NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is faster than AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface). NVMe is an interface protocol designed to optimize the performance of SSDs (Solid State Drives) over the PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) interface. It offers lower latency, higher I/O throughput, and lower power consumption compared to AHCI. AHCI, on the other hand, was designed for traditional SATA interfaces and is therefore less efficient in meeting the high-performance demands of modern SSDs.

Yes, NVMe is significantly faster than AHCI. NVMe can deliver speeds of up to 3,500 MB/s, while other SSDs typically range between 200 MB/s to 550 MB/s.

2. Should I choose SATA or NVMe?

While NVMe drives can reach speeds of 3,500 MB/s, modern motherboards still use SATA III, which has a maximum bandwidth of 600 MB/s. So, if you have the budget for it, an NVMe SSD is the obvious choice.

3. Which SSD is best: NVMe, M.2, or SATA 3?

The advantage of M.2 is that it supports thinner form factors for storage devices.

NVMe is a protocol that lets you read and write data through PCI-E.

SATA 3 is an older protocol that generally isn't as fast as NVMe.

If you're upgrading from a traditional hard drive, both SATA 3 and NVMe will provide a significant performance boost. But NVMe drives tend to be more expensive than SATA 3 drives.